The Kinsmen Scout Hall lawn was filled with 381 cars last weekend for the Kinsmen Show and Shine car show.

Car owners from the NOTL area, the Toronto area and the U.S. attended the 25th annual car show. And despite the heat, over 1,500 visitors drove in for the event, said Ken Slingerland, a director at the NOTL Kinsmen Club.

Kim Barton, the owner of a red 1949 Hudson Super Six, said he performs maintenance and polishes the car to prepare it for a show.

“You check the oil, check the rads (radiators), make sure the tire pressures are up and then just drive it in,” Barton said.

The Hudson company went out of business in 1954, so Barton said fellow car enthusiasts enjoy the rarity of his vehicle.

“Because this is so rare, people appreciate it and the fact that it’s still on the road,” he explained.

Because he makes an effort to attend car shows at least once a week, Barton said he understands the importance of the community it brings.

“You hang out with the same people all the time … These are totally different friends than we have in the winter, and in the winter that’s a totally different group again,” he said.

Another car owner at the show, Frank Pearson, agrees. Pearson is a NOTL resident and said the car show allows him to see his friends from out of town.

“You get to connect with a lot of people that you don’t see over the years,” Pearson said.

Pearson has been driving his blue 1968 Chevrolet Camaro to the Show and Shine event for eight years. Like Barton, he doesn’t drive the car and instead saves it for shows and upkeep.

Most vehicles made today are neutral colours, like black, white and silver, so the bright blue hue of Pearson’s brings positive attention, he explained.

“The colour is the big thing, and everybody likes it,” Pearson said.

But not all cars at the show are old-fashioned. Others, like Jon and Angie McManus’ vehicles, are modern and draw attention from a different crowd.

Both of the McManus’ cars are Chevrolet Camaros, but one is a 2012 fifth-generation 45th anniversary edition, while the other is a 2017 sixth-generation 50th anniversary edition.

The hoods of both cars were opened to highlight the mechanical aspects, which attracted visitors to take photos. Some pictures were taken of the cars themselves, while others were of guests posing next to them.

The McManus’ are from Lockport, N.Y., and regularly attend car shows in the U.S. and Canada. This year was their first at the Show and Shine event.

Jon said there isn’t a big difference between Canadian and American car shows, but said each show varies depending on the group hosting it.

“It depends on who’s running the show, but they’re pretty similar,” he said.

The Show and Shine event raises money for local organizations, such as the Girl Guides unit that meets in Kinsmen Hall. The club has also been supporting cystic fibrosis research since its first year.

Around $60,000 to $70,000 has been raised for cystic fibrosis since 1970, said Slingerland.

He said he’s happy to see the car show continuously bring in so many guests, especially those who had to drive their prized possessions a long distance to be there.

“We’re thrilled with the support we get from the community and people. They love to come out and walk through and look at the cars,” Slingerland said.

“I’m not even a real car enthusiast, and I still like to see a few old cars come in … It’s neat because you don’t see them on the roads anymore,” he said.

The Show and Shine car show runs on the second Sunday of August every year.